White paper: Understanding the state of html 5 and its potential

Understanding HTML 5: Today’s Realities and Its

Future Market Potential

Considerations for using HTML 5 in mobile

marketing today and tomorrow

Understanding the state of HTML5 and its potential |

Contents

I. Introduction ............................................................................. 3

II. About HTML 5 and Its Potential ................................................. 4

III. Potential Complications & Headaches ........................................ 8

IV. About HTML 5: Where Things Stand Today ............................... 9

V. Concluding Statements and Recommendations ......................... 11

VI. Resources ............................................................................ 12

Contributing Authors

Rich Moore, Chief Solutions Architect, iLoop Mobile, [email protected]

Michael Becker, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association North America

Michael Ahearn, VP Strategic Marketing, iLoop Mobile, [email protected]

Rafal Meczkowski, Project Manager/Usability Architect, iLoop Mobile Virginie Glaenzer, Director of Marketing, iLoop Mobile


I. Introduction

Mobile is the driving force of future traditional and digital consumer engagement. Combined

with social channels, mobile stands to rewrite the rules of consumer messaging and action.

Worldwide, there are over 5.3 billion mobile phone connections (ITU 2011), 3.75 billion unique

mobile users, with an additional 5+ billion “connected devices,” i.e. tablets, game terminals,

eBooks, navigation and related devices (Mary Meeker, Morgan Stanley 2010). Contrasting this

to 1.4 billion PCs, and 1.9 billion Internet users worldwide, mobile becomes the clear winner in

terms of global reach.

Research shows us that consumers are quickly leveraging their mobile devices and mobile

media for all forms of commercial interactions. These interactions range from promotional and

social media interaction, to loyalty, commerce and customer care, including digital

engagement integrating mobile with traditional retail and media environments as well.

In fact, by 2011 consumers will purchase over $119 billion worth of goods and services directly

via mobile (ABI Research 2011). But mobile has an even bigger influence on traditional

commercial engagements. In increasing numbers, consumers are using mobile to search, look

up prices and product comparisons, venture to location and time sensitive opportunities and

more. Mobile is estimated to directly and indirectly influence $155B~$230B of U.S. brick and

mortar and eCommerce sales.

Mobility embodies engagement that is enabled by the latest technologies deployed in mobile

devices, networks and standards. In order to harness the power of mobile and the

engagement it offers, it is a strategic imperative that marketers understand and embrace

relevant emerging mobile technologies and their impact on marketing.

One such technology is HTML 5, and its related revision of CSS3 for cascading style sheets.

Note, CSS3 is not part of the formal HTML 5 specification, but many browser updates for HTML

5 will also include support for new CSS3 functionality.

HTML 5 is a technology that will drastically reshape the Internet and consumer engagement as

we know it today, with global ramifications.


II. About HTML 5 and Its Potential

First developed in 2007, and spearheaded by Google and Apple, HTML 5 is the latest revision

of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the industry standard for the structure and

presentation of content on the World Wide Web. HTML 5 is powering an entirely new

generation of Internet experiences, both for broadband Internet and mobile Internet.

Today there are 1.4 billion Internet users. However, due to the proliferation and adoption of

mobile devices, by 2015 there will be more people accessing the Internet via a mobile device

than the traditional Internet (Mary Meeker, Morgan Stanley 2010).

What sets HTML 5 apart from the previous versions of HTML is that HTML 5 has the potential

to bring together the last 20 years of the world’s experience with the Internet, and unify it into

a broadly supported standard.

HTML 5, once fully deployed, will help reduce device fragmentation issues in the market, enabling marketers to unleash their creativity to create new innovative, intuitive and compelling engagements via mobile:

Cross-platform, cross-network, static and real-time rich media (e.g. video, audio)

Streamlined social media integration and enablement

Easier and more innovative customer care and relationship marketing

Improved and enhanced user navigation, site usability and automatic content refreshing

on mobile sites

Ability to retain user selection, preference and history for a better user specific and

context appropriate personalized mobile site experience

New advertising and social media experiences utilizing local storage for context and

history

Native app experience within a browser, an experience also known as the “Hybrid App”

or “Web App”

Gaming, augmented reality and a wide range of other cloud computing based services

which will evolve by leveraging HTML 5 standards and new features


What makes these new engagements and delivery models possible is the introduction of a

number of new web browser features in the HTML 5 standard that offer these capabilities:

Embed video, audio, barcode scanning, rich media content and more within a browser

without requiring third party plug-ins such as Flash, Silverlight and other media players

for playback or functionality

Lightweight size and streamlined coding of HTML 5 is ideal for limited memory devices

like mobile phones since the page script will be more efficient

Store/cache data and content locally on a device within the browser, which improves

performance speed and supports offline access to the data or content experience

Using the HTML 5 image canvas, full gaming environments and other interactive rich

media can be created native within the HTML code

Improved semantics providing contextual descriptions for content in the HTML code

itself making it an easier to use and more elegant coding language

Advanced Forms where the browser does more work for validation, making Javascripts

more efficient and offering faster page rendering

Create a wide range of new engagements that can be adjusted in real-time based on

context including:

- Interactive drag-and-drop image creation canvases

- Content editing and creation (images, audio, video) utilizing enhanced visual

navigation and interaction controls

- Media playback

- Page rendering and presentation styles offering background media and style

management, and over 14 new input form field types

- Enhanced and easier authoring of touch and scrolling effects

- Auto-complete and drop-down menus


Other discussed features for HTML 5 include:

- Standardization and unification of metrics and analytics cross platform

- UI enhancements such as carrousels, pinch/spread/zoom, pop-over menus,

selections spinners etc.

- Cross browser consistency for in-page dialogs for confirm/cancel actions

Access a device’s hardware and software features, including:

- Camera and microphone (Capture API)

- Location/GPS chip using HTML 5 APIs

- Contact services (personal contact software)

- SMS (text message)

- Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, file and media system using APIs

- Notification systems (alarms, reminders)

- 3D graphic engines (WebGL library)

- NFC and RFID chips

Integrated and streamlined use of background processes both on the device and

through secure sockets, allowing for a richer engagement without interrupting the

user’s experience, and providing simpler cross-platform application content updates.

The improved web service APIs enhances the performance of processor-intensive tasks

and scripts in the background, independently of the overall experience.

Reduce the expense and time needed for the rigorous certification, testing and vetting

requirements of application stores as they align to the new HTML 5 specification

Initiate content updates faster and more efficiently without complete reload of a web

page, which is critical for small screen devices or low bandwidth environments

Interface with existing open standards, for example ORMMA (Open Rich Media for

Mobile Advertising)

Segment an audience and deliver tailored content experiences based on a wide range of

demographic, location and behavioral factors, or simply enable A/B testing of different

marketing interactions utilizing local device segment data persistence


Leverage familiar and well-understood Internet development skills, tools and

processes—HTML 5 is an extension of existing mobile site technologies, specifications

and site development processes


III. Potential Complications & Headaches

With the promise of the new capabilities and functionalities of HTML 5 and CSS3, come

possible complications to be aware of:

Competing standards may evolve, particularly initially regarding HTML 5 “support” as

different browser vendors interpret the not-yet-final HTML 5 specification and

propose—by implementation—different “enhancements” to the basic standard

Historically, mobile devices have utilized XHTML as the standard mobile browser

language. There is a next generation XHTML 2 specification that has some support and

may also be deployed in some mobile browsers. At the current time, based on actual

mobile device browser releases, HTML 5 is the standard being utilized for smart phone

operating systems. However, if some mobile browser vendors adopt XHTML 2 as their

supported markup language, mobile site publishers may then need to support both

HTML 5 and XHTML 2.

Until the HTML 5 standard is complete and fully and uniformly rolled out across the majority of

devices—which is not expected to occur until well into 2014—marketers should be aware of

potential execution issues, including:

Performance problems

Interoperability issues

Inconsistent browser and device response

Content playback and mime-type support variance across devices

Consumer difficulty in discoverability of services

Digital content rights managements

Overall application experience inconsistencies

Monetization challenges

Evolving browser releases and the refinement process of a consistent HTML 5 standard

(or its well understood variations) supported across browsers


IV. About HTML 5: Where Things Stand Today

While HTML 5 shows great promise, it is far from mainstream today. It is a language in motion,

and more time is needed for it to settle down to become a unified standard. As with all new

standards, early browser support varies, particularly in support of the additional “plug in”

extensions defined in parallel with the HTML 5 specification.

Obviously, in order for an HTML 5 experience to work properly, the device accessing the HTML

5 coded site must have a browser that supports HTML 5 (many of which are built with the Web

Kit framework).

As of October 2010, it has been reported that 350 million devices have shipped with partial or

complete support for HTML 5 worldwide, and another 100 million users have downloaded

third party HTML 5 compliant browsers to their phones (e.g. Bolt, Opera Mobile, Mobile Safari,

Mobile Firefox, Skyfire).

Furthermore, it is estimated that on average since October 2010, approximately 25 million

handheld devices a month are being infused into the market through the sales of iOS, Android,

Baba, Samsung, Windows Phone Nokia and Blackberry devices, as well as through the

download of third party browsers.

So it can be extrapolated that, by the end of 2011, nearly 750 million HTML 5 compliant

devices may be in the installed market. This is however a small sliver of the over 10 billion

devices in market today.

In addition, even if a consumer has an HTML 5 compliant handset and browser, there are no

guarantees that the marketer’s experience will be rendered consistently across all devices and

browsers, since at this time the specification is still being formalized.


In other words, HTML 5 is showing great promise, but it is not mainstream yet, or ready for

mass marketing campaign deployment.

Options / Tradeoffs / Features

HTML 5 Custom Applications

HTML 4 XHTML

Well understood and actualized standard Not Yet Evolving Yes Yes Suitable for feature phone devices No No No Yes Suitable for mobile smart devices Yes Yes No Yes Suitable for mobile network speeds Yes Varies No Yes Consistent cross device experience Not Yet N/A No Yes Created to standardize browsing experience on PC, tablet and mobile

Yes N/A No Yes

Known HTML 5 Solution Providers

Advertising Sites Analytics iLoop Mobile X X

Usablenet X

Whoop X Netbiscuits X X

Scout X Celtra X

Medialets X X WebTrends X

Adobe Omniture X

IVdopia X OnSwipe X

PhoneGap X


V. Concluding Statements and Recommendations

HTML5 will forever change the face of consumer engagement.

However, it is not yet mature enough, nor a final specification, to be a marketer’s exclusive or

primary mobile web solution for mass market reach. Several HTML 5 features are available

today that can establish an enhanced “beachhead” of new mobile site capabilities, but the full

capabilities talked about remain in the spheres of discussion and development.

For the time being, HTML 5 will co-exist with traditional mobile Internet and mobile apps, as

well as the wide range of other mobile channels that include SMS, MMS, email, voice, content

and proximity channels.

For mass-market objectives, it is premature to focus exclusively on comprehensive HTML 5

environments. At the moment, full HTML 5 implementation should be reserved for more niche

target markets that are advanced mobile users. However, marketers can, and should, consider

integrating a number of the more mature HTML 5 elements and the partner CSS3 extensions

such as canvas, styles, and current new standards such as location APIs. These mature

extensions can augment the experience for customers using HTML 5 compliant browsers, and

marketers can experiment and learn offering user experiences that effectively serve their

customers’ needs.


VI. Resources

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): Global organization that sets Internet markup

language standards http://www.w3c.org

Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG)

http://www.whatwg.org/

Collection of HTML5 sites: http://html5sites.com/ and http://html5gallery.com/

Wholesale Applications Community (WAC): operator driven app development

community with open source applications standards

http://www.wacapps.net/web/portal

Browser compliance testing tools: The HTML 5 Test http://www.html5test.com and

FindmebyIP.com http://findmebyip.com

DeviceAtlas: http://devicatlas.com

Modernizr: http://modernizr.com

Can I Use: http://caniuse.com

HTML Speech Incubator Group (also known as Speech XG) is working to "determine the

feasibility of integrating speech technology into HTML 5

http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/htmlspeech/

Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5

http://www.w3c.org/

http://www.whatwg.org/

http://html5sites.com/

http://html5gallery.com/

http://www.wacapps.net/web/portal

http://www.html5test.com/

http://findmebyip.com/

http://devicatlas.com/

http://modernizr.com/

http://caniuse.com/

http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/htmlspeech/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5

White paper: Understanding the state of html 5 and its potential

Technology

Transcript of White paper: Understanding the state of html 5 and its potential